Silver Man
by GallifreyGryffindorGirl
Summary: After months apart a chance meeting in a book store brings Clara and the Doctor together and they reveal their lies to each other - leading them to travel together again, though there are still some emotional bumps in the road! Fluffiness, possibly some smut, and a meetings with old friends ensue! Rated M for now but might turn out to be a T - still playing with the plot a bit.
1. Chapter 1

_Well after the seasons end I wanted to write this - and just want to laugh and let you know the day Clara is having? I have literally had that day! This is what living in England does to you! It gets you soaking wet and blown away by gale force winds! Even that bit with the bus - this is all real life! xD Not entirely sure where this is going, I'm just winging it - still playing with whether I should make this T- rated or M- rated :P _

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><p><span><strong>Chapter One<strong>

Clara Oswald had skipped over angry today. She'd gone right into sullen as she walked slowly down the street nearly being blown backwards by gale force winds. Her hair, coat and trousers had long since been soaked through and where plastered to her skin making her itch – she wasn't even going to address the squelching every time she took a step because of her soaked shoes and socks.

Come to lunch Clara, it'll be fun Clara – she thought bitterly as she struggled against the wind. She'd been invited out that Saturday by the other teachers from School, she hadn't really been social at all since Danny died and the Doctor left – her only real social interactions had been with her family and Kate Stewart who'd helped her locate the family of the boy Danny saved and officially bring the child back from the dead on paperwork. After that she'd kind of become a recluse. A miserable recluse. She'd even stopped teaching full time becoming only a temp teacher.

So she'd relented and come to lunch with the girls – admittedly she mostly just sat and listened to the conversation going on around her, occasionally speaking. The one time she actually spoke was when Rachel – the new English teacher – said "Shakespeare was an absolute master of words, especially on the sage – I bet he was fantastic live, I wish I could go back in time and see him!"

"He wasn't that good – live he was actually just like any other guy, he was a bit smelly and the theatre didn't smell any better and was far too over crowded even in the seated areas." Clara said without thinking. She only registered what she'd said when she realised everyone was very quiet and she looked up to find them staring at her. She put on a fake smile, used to the lie now and said "I'm joking."

She was met with nervous unsure laughs and odd looks and someone said "You've a weird sense of humour Clara." And that was when she'd stopped making an effort to talk.

A bus drove past her wheels going through a large puddle which splashed up and drenched her all over again. Whatever part of her had been dry was certainly not dry now – and yet she still couldn't bring herself to care. Instead she spotted her favourite book store up ahead, she hadn't been in there in months, and couldn't resist to lure of a thick creamy hot chocolate in the upstairs café even when she looked like a drowned rodent.

She got a look from the girl behind the counter and resisted a snarl – though she was sure the smile was less than polite – seeing the judgment in the girl's eyes, probably for her drowned appearance.

Upstairs she got a sympathy look from the young man behind the counter – he even gave her a towel while he was preparing her beverage – which she took grateful for the warmth of the cup in her hand as she retreated to her favourite booth in the far corner of the café, one that was cut off from the world but still had a lamp light enough for reading as well as a shelf of books right beside it.

She paused, someone was already sitting in that seat. They had their back to her – but she was sure she recognised that slim ridged frame and silver grey hair. She opened her mouth to call 'Doctor?' but thought better of it and snapped her mouth shut again retreating across the room to a different seat, and isolated one with no one around her. It couldn't be the Doctor, she scolded the part of her that had yipped like a happy puppy at the idea he was here. He was back on Gallifrey being a king or something – there was nothing on earth around for him anymore.

She pushed the sadness from her thoughts and concentrated on getting dry. She removed her coat thankful it had saved most of her shirt from getting wet and hung it on the radiator near her seat in an effort to dry the damn thing, though it was probably futile. She used the towel the barrister had given her to rub at the ends of her dripping hair and wipe at her damp cheeks – she wasn't sure if her waterproof mascara had fared well against the rain and at that moment she didn't care.

Her hair continued to drip onto her shirt at with a deep sigh threw the towel onto her table and gave up trying to get dry. She sat down, taking a thankful sip of her hot chocolate and wiping the whipped cream from her nose she caught herself stealing glances at the man who looked like the Doctor but couldn't be the Doctor.

He had a large pile of books stacked on the table, as well as one already open for him to read. The Doctor had been fond of doing that, she thought, then corrected that she herself did that anyway so it didn't confirm anything. The books on the table where odd though – ranging from Harry Potter, molecular physics theories and she was pretty sure that was a copy of Darwin's theory of evolution too.

She sighed and forced herself to look away before the stranger caught her staring – that would be awkward. She pulled out her phone to check the time, and while she was on it decided to check the weather and see if the rain was due to let up any time soon. Luck was certainly not on her side – the rain was due to continue for a few days in fact. It wasn't long before she found herself scrolling through her contacts list – thumb hovering over the Doctors number. This happened every time she used the phone, she would sit there staring at his number for a while before putting the phone away with a sigh and a frown. There was no point in disturbing him – hell there was no real chance he'd be anywhere near the TARDIS phone, he'd probably be off helping rebuild Gallifrey after all.

Clara stood and moved amongst the book shelves looking for something to catch her eye. She ended up at the 'surprise' shelf. This shelf was why the book store was her favourite. The books on this shelf had been bound in paper so the covers where hidden – the only thing on the covers was the blurb. It made the selection of her book that day a surprise, a mystery and without the Doctor around these days it was the only excitement she got.

She wasn't sure how long she stood there reading the different blurbs, but when she happened to glance up again the stranger who'd sat in her favourite booth was gone – though his books where still there and a steaming cup of tea half drank so she assumed he'd be back. She turned away, intending to take the book in her hand back to her seat, but was so busy looking at the blurb she walked into the person behind her rather abruptly. She dropped the book with a startled gasp and began to rattle off apologise as she bent down to retrieve the strangers dropped book too. "I'm so sorry, I should have been looking where I was going…"

The stranger had knelt down too and picked up both books before she could reach them. He looked up again, cold blue-grey eyes meeting hers and widening – she was sure hers where rounder than they'd even been. "D-Doctor?" she breathed, not daring to believe it was actually him.

"Clara? What happened to you, you look like a kitten that got stuck in the washing machine." Defiantly the Doctor, they both straightened and her head only reached his chin causing her to crane her head back just to look up at him.

"It's… it's raining." She blinked, she could feel a well of emotion that threatened to make her cry and had to wrap her hands around her middle to stop herself hugging him, knowing that he both disliked touch and that she'd lose all control and weep again if she did.

"Ah." Was his reply, and they both shuffled awkwardly until he asked. "So, uh, how are you?"

She faked a smile again. "Good. How're you? What are you doing here anyway, should you be off being a king on Gallifrey?"

She knew the weak thin lipped smile he gave her. His smile was as much of a lie as hers and they both knew it. "Gallifrey is good, but I've become accustom to human tea – and there's nowhere better to get that than earth."

"Oh?" she considered calling him out on his liars smile, but she didn't want to make him run. She asked a different question instead. "What are you doing here then? You could have come visited me and I'd make you tea… unless you think my tea is bad?" she couldn't help but tease.

"No- no!" he looked a little startled "Your tea is fine, brilliant! But I didn't want to impose on you and P.E. Might accidentally walk in on something that could damage my psyche."

"Well that wouldn't happen if you learned to knock on doors." She rolled her eyes. "I thought you'd have learned your lesson after walking in on me shirtless, you complained about it enough!"

They noticed some of the other customers giving them funny looks. "Ah err… would you like to join me at my table?" the Doctor frowned.

"Sure. You stole my favourite table." Clara smiled genuinely over her shoulder for the first time in months as she retrieved her still soaking coat and hot chocolate before she joined him having to move a stack of books she could see him over them.

They just sat like that, stealing glances at each other over their cups while the other wasn't looking until the Doctor asked bitterly. "So how is P.E? Have you two set a wedding date yet, human courtships are always so short, is it any wonder half of them end in divorce?"

Clara was startled by the bitterness in his voice, and stalled for time by taking a long sip of her drink. I- uh…." She tried to speak but something seemed caught in her throat, her body rebelling against the lie she wanted to tell on reflex.

The Doctor took her inability to speak as an affirmative of his assumptions. "No need to be embarrassed. It's just your species – pudding brains – always using their emotions to dictate rather than this heads, honestly. So when is the big day? Hope it's not a winter wedding with weather like this! Unless it's indoors of course-"

"Doctor." She cut across him, unable to hear anymore. Normally he would have kept talking – but he'd never seen such a frown on her face before and it made him stop. "Danny never came back."

He said nothing for a few seconds – too stunned. "But… the bracelet- you had it, I saw!"

"He didn't use it on himself." Clara was looking down at her cup. "He used it to send back a child."

The Doctor felt the new found respect for solider boy increase. "Then why did you… why did you tell me he was back?"

Clara smiled weakly, sadly and finally looked up at him meeting his eyes with her watery ones. "I didn't- you made the assumption and I didn't tell you different. I didn't want you to think I was going to be all alone when you went back to Gallifrey – I didn't want you to feel like you _had _to come back or anything…"

They both looked away awkwardly, for their separate reasons. Eventually the Doctor sighed and still not looking at her admitted "I didn't find Gallifrey."

Her neck cracked with the speed of which she looked up. "What?"

"The coordinates… they were a lie…" the Doctor stared down at the table under which he flexed his hands remembering the damage he'd inflicted on himself and the TARDIS in his frustration after realising that the Master- or Missy rather- had lied. His ship had given him her equivalent of the silent treatment for over a week after the incident and was still mad at him. She kept turning off the gravity in rooms or accidentally 'deleting' the rooms he used most often or locking him out.

He expected Clara to yell, be angry at least and was most startled when she abruptly laughed instead. "What? Why are you laughing?" he frowned feeling he'd missed some secret joke.

"Us!" she grinned and shook her head at their stupidity. "We're such idiots!"

It took him a few minutes. He wasn't sure if she was genuinely serious – but eventually he found himself smiling too, a rare genuine smile on this face that usually just smirked and frowned. It made her smile wider for a second too, before she gave an exasperated look and said "Now we know we both lied. How have you really been?"

He stopped smiling too, his eyes stopped looking happy too and regained a shadow darkness as he looked away. "Same old I guess. Rescuing here, saving that…. Trying to anyway."

"Trying too?"

He shrugged. "Not everything has gone to plan lately that's all." He said sounding irritable.

Clara took the hint and didn't ask him what had gone wrong- still not wanting to cause him to leave again.

"What about you?" he asked "How have you _actually _been?"

"Miserable." She answered honestly, if she wanted any kind of truth of him she'd have to admit her own feelings first that much she knew. "You have no idea how many times I nearly called you these past months – I missed you so much."

His usually menacing eyebrows raised in surprise. "You… you missed me?"

"Of course – you're my best friend in the entire universe quite literally." She shrugged, a little embarrassed.

"Ah… well… uh…" he tugged at his collar a little, had it suddenly gotten warm in here? "I guess I missed you too."

She gave him a tiny smile. "You did?"

"Well, yes." He cleared his throat, face burning as he looked anywhere but at the girl in front of him. "There was no one around to see how clever I am."

She rolled her eyes at that, drinking the last of her hot chocolate and considering another.

"You could always come back you know." He said so quietly she paused, wondering if he'd actually spoken at all.

"Really?"

"Yes… I mean… if you wanted too?" for the first time since he'd regenerated he looked at her with insecurity in his eyes rather than the usual overwhelming confidence.

"Of course I want too!" she blurted out far too fast and loud for her liking and gave a slight look of embarrassment afterwards despite his smug look.

He stood, held a hand out for her which she took without hesitation. "What are we waiting for then? I even have an umbrella."

He led her down a few streets outside in the rain. Neither really spoke, both too convince this was going to turn out to be a dream – they had both had the dream of meeting and traveling again, it wasn't too farfetched to believe this could be a dream too. Clara would have been convinced it was a dream if her feet hadn't still been soaking wet and cold as ice.

Clara felt utter relief when she saw the TARDIS sitting at the end of the alleyway, her grip on the Doctors arm tightened unconsciously with anticipation because this was usually when she woke up in her dreams. She almost was convinced it was a dream when the Doctor raised his fingers and clicked – and the doors didn't open.

He sighed heavily and she looked up at him with a frown. He shrugged at her and gave a gruff explanation as he opened the door with a key instead. "She might be angry with me. We haven't actually been getting along very well the past few months either. I might have hit her when I realised the coordinates where a lie… and then yelled… and she might be mad at me for lying to you."

The Doctor stepped inside, and as usual was met with a dark room. the TARDIS was somewhat limited with punishing him when she wanted too and turning the lights very low without turning them completely off was one of her punishments – however the moment Clara stepped through the door the time machine whirred into life purring like a contented cat and the lights brightening to their usual colours.

Clara turned in a slow circle as she started up at the TARDIS, she place a hand on the metal wall behind her and smiled brightly "As surprising as it is I missed you too, you old cow!" she said affectionately.

The Doctor just smiled as he watched her, meeting her eyes across the room they shared a grin and he slammed down a lever with more enthusiasm than he'd had in months since she'd left and he swore the TARDIS's usual groaning was louder than it had been in months too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The control room was a mess. Clara tried not to mention it, but it probably showed in the way she stood looking around the room with her arms folded around herself as she twitched to clean. There went her OCD side again!

The Doctor watched her closely and noticed of course. "Sorry it's a bit of a mess…" he mumbled picking up books from the stairs – better move those ones first he thought lest one of them tripped down the stairs and broke their necks.

"Its fine." She replied. "Only reason my place is clean is because… well I was there all the time and got bored." She confessed.

She managed to pick her way through the things on the floor and sat herself down in his leather chair. She was sat there for a second before she realised it was her own jacket on the chair. she picked it up, feeling a chill, and pulled it on – seconds later noticing exactly how much her own scent was mingled with the Doctor's on the coats fabric, the two spells where mingled together nicely though she blushed to think so.

"Why's my coat in here?" she smiled knowingly glancing at him.

He straightened abruptly from where he'd been picking up books, a slight blush on his cheeks he gave a flustered look over his shoulder at her wearing the coat and shrugged. "Uh… when I said the TARDIS was mad at me well… she kept deleting my bedroom and I had to sleep in here, your coat was the only thing I could find has a blanket I guess…"

"Really?" Clara frowned. The blue box must have_ really_ been mad at her thief to do something like that. "She hasn't deleted my room…"

"I know." He mumbled a reply around a book he had in his mouth.

Clara stood, rushing over to him she pulled the book out of his mouth and smiled "You could just ask for help?" he tapped him on the head with the book. "You also could have just slept in my room."

He frowned, not sure how to phrase his feelings towards that. In the end he said "I felt like that would invade your personal space. Over stepping boundaries."

She frowned too as she put books back on the shelves. "You didn't know I was coming back so I'd have been none the wiser if you had."

"I didn't want to risk the TARDIS deleting your room either." He confessed quietly.

She couldn't think of anything to say to that so she stayed quite at first. Until she got an idea. The Doctor was trying to come up the stairs of the console room, but she was in the way standing on the first step. He tried to step around her – Clara moved to block him again and he finally looked at her with confusion.

"Clara what are you-?"

"A hug is just a way to hide your face." She said echoing the words he'd said to her the day they parted ways.

He regarded her a little warily now, but still confused.

"I want to hug you – but I don't want to hide my face." She shuffled a little awkwardly on the top step.

"Uh…." He cleared his throat. "Clara…you know I don't…."

"Like the hugging yes I know…" she was still shuffling awkwardly. "Please?"

Oh for the love… how could he say no to her big wide eyes and little soft voice when she said 'please' like that? The ice around his hearts melted just a fraction, just enough to let her in for a second as he rolled his eyes and said with a blank face "Alright fine, just _once._"

She smiled widely, stepping right onto the edge of the step and putting her arms around his shoulders- waiting patiently as he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her middle eventually getting a comfortable grip on her and holding her as tightly as she held him – but neither stopped looking at the other.

She smiled, feeling the tension in his body relax the longer they stood like this. Even his usually hard eyes softened a fraction as she whispered "Missed ya, clever boy."

He gave her one of his rare relaxed bright smiles and said "Missed you too, impossible girl."

"So, where too for our first adventure?" he grinned at her over the console the next morning, both of them had a twinkle of excitement in their eyes. He shrugged suddenly. "Not really our first but you know what I mean – our _reunion_ adventure then!"

"No matter where we go chaos usually follows" Clara pointed out – the TARDIS groaned.

His face dropped a little, she remembered what he said about it '_not going to plan'_ since she left and was tempted to ask. Instead she moved around the console, placed her hand gently over his on the big green lever and smiled gently as she said "Chaos we will sort out _together_."

"You say together" He smirked, glancing at their joined hands and staying there for a few seconds before he moved away and put the console between them – not much had changed in that respect apparently. "What you actually mean is I will be extremely clever and sort everything out and you won't even be able to keep up with my running!"

"Ah!" she made the noise in protest "I've done my share of rescuing you!"

"Give me an example?" he waved a hand in invitation with a smug grin.

"Alright what about when you were trapped in a tiny TARDIS running out or air while I was out there fending off the boneless? Who was it who came up with an idea to get enough dimensional power to the TARDIS to get her full sized again?" Clara crossed her arms giving her own smug look – especially when the TARDIS made an agreeing groan too – "And just for the sake of winning the argument I'm going to play my echo's dying to save your life card one more time."

The Doctor looked irritated as he gave her a once over glare as the TARDIS landed, he walked to the doors looked at her and mumbled "I'd forgotten how tetchy you can be."

"I'm not tetchy!" she protested "You're just mad that I'm right!" she followed him out the door.

As predicted chaos found them – but oddly the Doctor went far out of his way this time to stop Clara getting involved. Not that it worked of course – he needed her help in the end. He had sent her on an errand, one that was pointless and he knew she'd yell at him for it later, but nether-the-less he'd prefer her angry than in danger. When they met up again the Doctor was being chased by what Clara thought looked like a pack of rabid furby's – only these ones had very large teeth and claws!

In his arms he held a child – a girl of about five who was unconscious. She was alien obviously with skin a toxic green which helped Clara to age her as the Doctor had explained when they landed that natives of this planet had skin that got lighter for ever year they lived, new-born babies where almost pure black. It took Clara a second longer to notice he was holding a rag to the child's side, thick blood soaked it.

His eyes widened when he saw Clara, they met just outside the door and the Doctor said nothing as he handed the girl over to Clara, grabbing her hand and replacing it heavily on the wound on the girls side. "Hold that there or she'll bleed out. Run!" he demanded, turning back to the horde of killer furby' with only his sonic screwdriver in hand.

"I'm not leaving you!" Clara called back standing there stubbornly torn between taking the child to safety and making sure the Doctor didn't get killed too.

"I'll be fine Clara now go!" he yelled at her past the door, turning only partially so he could see both her and the oncoming wave.

"But-"

"GO!" he bellowed turning fully, rage in his face as he pointed the sonic at the door between them causing it to slam shut – still out of desperate rage she slapped her hand on the door a few times and yelled his name despite knowing it was futile.

After a few minutes she turned away from the door, feeling like she was losing him again for a second time, she ran back towards the entrance and outside heading for the little village where they'd landed.

A few hours late the sun had set on the little village and both its moons had risen in the skin – one of them was a beautiful periwinkle colour but nothing could soothe Clara. She was pacing back and forth, had been since she arrived in the medical hut. She was worried – the nurse, an elder lady of a light blue shade, had promised to give her any information about the young girl the Doctor had passed off on her but hadn't returned with any information. The Doctor himself had yet to reappear too. And he would – _he would come back_. He was the Doctor – he always came back.

A woman, her skin a deep pink colour, had been watching Clara pace worriedly for the last few hours. She gave a soft smile and finally broke the silence "You care a great deal for the man who brought home my daughter?"

Clara stopped and looked up. "That girl is your daughter?"

"Yes. Thank you for returning her – so many of our children have gone missing that's to those… those little _hair balls_ I was almost sure I'd never see her again." The mother spat rage about the fruby-like monsters Clara had seen.

"What are they exactly?" she continued pacing, but enjoyed having something to take her mind off the worry.

"Experiments gone wrong – the scientist who created them swore they could not breed. Obviously he was wrong and we had to suffer the menace while he was sent to a safe jail." The woman snorted with derision. "Your lover said he would be able to rid us of the menace."

"Ah… he's not my lover…" Clara mumbled. "In fact he's the man I'm going to kill if he hasn't been killed already…"

The woman laughed a little. "You know you care greatly for someone when you are both so worried you don't know what to do and yet wish to inflict bodily harm upon them at the same time."

The elderly nurse suddenly reappeared. Clara and the mother looked up at her expectantly – and she smiled. "She's going to be fine. We gave her antibiotics for the venom and have managed to stop the bleeding. Nanogene's are repairing the rest of the damage as we speak."

"Oh thank stars…" the mother looked relived and Clara let out a breath and a sigh.

The nurse allowed the mother to go in and see her daughter – they invited Clara with them but she declined and resumed her pacing by the window waiting for any sign of the Doctor.

She was pacing on remote by now, no thoughts even going to her head when his voice broke her silence "You're going to wear a new gorge into the ground if you keep going like that."

Her head snapped up and she saw the Doctor standing in the doorway doing his best to look as normal as possible – but that was impossible the state he was in. his usually flat hair was matted and had bits of twigs and leaves stuck in it, his lip was cut and his eyes tiered, his jacket was held loose in one hand revealing the blood on his ripped white shirt with obvious claw and bite marks.

Her eyes narrowed and if she hadn't seen how hurt and in pain he obviously was she'd have hit him right then. Instead she grabbed his uninjured arm and dragged him into the room where the nurse had vanished too.

The nurse jumped into action the moment the Doctor walked in – no questions asked. Clara stood in the corner and watched the nurse try to fuss at him, but he only allowed her to take a look at his more serious wounds. After a few minutes of fussing and the Doctor grumping the nurse turned and gave Clara a helpless look.

Clara gave the nurse a sympathy look and too the wet cloth sterilized in anti-venom from her and smiled, a mute way of telling the nurse she'd deal with the grumpy patient – much to the nurses relief as she went back over too the little girl and her mother.

The Doctor glared at her as she held up the cloth.

"Don't you dare give me that look" Clara warned him, her voice far more filled with anger than she thought it'd be. It was enough to make the Doctor sit still as she dabbed at the cut on his lip anyway. "I swear to god, don't you ever leave me behind like that again."

"I had to – or that little girl over there would have died." He grumbled.

She stopped to glare at him pointedly. "You come have come with me here. You didn't have to face of those hungry hair balls with no one at your back."

He tried to change the conversation. "I destroyed them though. No more unnatural monsters kidnapping and eating the children on this planet."

"Get your shirt off." She demanded, still irritated with him.

He cocked his eyebrows at her.

"Now." She demanded with narrowed eyes, in the mood to play games. Normally she'd have loved to play the flirting game and make him uncomfortable – it was one of her favourite pass times, and the Doctor knew that, it was a bad sign when she passed that opportunity.

He began to unbutton his shirt and let her sterilised his wounds. "You don't have to do that." He told her. "My immune system is far stronger than this venom – it would do little more than give me an irritated tickle."

"Shut up." She hissed not looking up at him as she cleaned a particularly long scratch stretching from his belly to him side. She tried not to notice how despite his thin frame he was still quite muscled, tensed, like a swimmer. An attractive body – not that she was checking. "You left me behind, _again_. The least you can do is let me tend your wounds."

A few moments of angry silence was more than the Doctor could take. "I'm sorry alright!" he growled exasperated as he grabbed both of Clara's wrists and force her to look up at him. "I'm sorry I left you behind again Clara, I was just trying to keep you safe. Please don't be angry with me about that."

"No. I am angry." She hissed, though her voice was losing its heat. "You need to stop sending me away to protect me because you're just putting yourself in danger. We look after each other okay? That means no separating. Not anymore."

He was surprised, and nodded but she frowned.

"Don't just nod." She said. "I know you and you lie. You've lied before and sent me away. You did it on Christmas. I want you to promise me, _please_ Doctor." She begged. She'd never don't that to anyone, for anyone before – but she did it now.

"Alright, alright Clara!" he said anything to try and get that look from her face. "I promise, I swear I won't send you away anymore…"

He watched her eyes close and a sigh escaped her lip, the breath brushing over his skin and giving him goose bumps. She opened her eyes and continued cleaning his wounds. "I…" he cleared his throat. "I didn't know you felt so strongly about it…"

"Well I do…" her voice was no longer angry and fierce but sounded tiered and worn. "I'm terrified every time you leave me behind."

"You never used to be…" he remembered his other face leaving her in change of a tiny platoon of soldiers about to be attacked by hordes of cybermen once. Had she just trusted that face to come back for her more than this one?

"Yes well. Then Christmas happened. And you left me with those clockwork men who were harvesting body parts."

"Ah." When she put it that way she really didn't have a good experience of him leaving her behind. "Alright – no more leaving you behind. I swear."

She smiled, albeit it was a tiered smile, but still a smile.

He smiled too.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Clara had made a comment about some whimsical human thing again and now the Doctor was insisting he show her a planet where that actually happened. Honestly all she'd done was explain about a comic she'd read, that the animals where anthropomorphic – now he was taking her to a plant run entirely by humanoid wolves.

"Ironically they live on a moon" he was saying walking to the wardrobe with her in tow. It took them a while to find – the TARDIS was still messing with him, but he noticed ruefully that the ship seemed happier with Clara back. Maybe he wasn't the only one who'd missed her.

"Alright I admit that is ionic. Why are we heading for the wardrobe? Are we visiting another place with a strict dress code again?" Clara rolled her eyes. "I'm starting to think you just like dressing me up!"

"Ah…" he looked over his shoulder at her. The TARDIS of course had already had the adequate clothing for the planet set out – he was sure she wasn't going to like it. "You may not like it?"

She looked past him at the outfit on the chair, then back to him with a grim expression. "No can't say I care for it much. Is it made out of leaves?"

"Looks like it."

"Your outfit is far more respectable than mine!"

"Yes well they value the… female form much more than the males!" he protested holding up the cloak. It reminded him of the monk's robes his former self had turned up on her doorstep wearing the first time they'd ever met. He wondered if she saw the resemblance too.

She was far too preoccupied in her own outfit. It looked like she would basically have two strips of cloth covered in leaves, one wrapped around her breasts and the other her waist like a skirt and that was all the modesty she would receive besides a cloak to tie around her neck. She sighed and looked around for the changing room the TARDIS sometimes set up – finding it in the corner she took the clothes and headed inside.

The Doctor shrugged – guessed this meant they were going. She'd probably take some time changing, so while she was in there he changed outside. The robe was open at the front but with the planets dress code he removed his shirt leaving his chest bare and feeling a little self-conscious about it he stared in the mirror. His torso was lean, he kind of liked that – made him a little more flexible since he was also narrower than his previous self. His chest was bare of hair this time too, except for a little under his belly button leading down past his trousers – but he kind of liked that too, it meant his shirt didn't get damp after the shower. His chest was also still showing white scars from the attack he suffered last week – that would probably add to his 'costume' for this planet too.

Clara giggled from the corner – she'd come out a few minutes ago but couldn't help watching the Doctor stare at himself in the mirror, his face showing a dozen different emotions when he thought he was unwatched. Of course her giggle caused him to turn around – eyes widening when he saw her and raking shamelessly up and down her body before he cleared his throat and looked away with a slight blush. "You… uh… you can't wear shoes."

"I figured that out when the TARDIS didn't offer any." Clara rolled her eyes advancing on him, the cloak fluttering behind her. She was half tempted to wrap the damn thing around herself to hide her body from view. She'd had to make a tough decision while dressing, there wasn't enough fabric to cover her breasts entirely, so there was a generous amount of milky fleshy still showing at the top – in fact looking larger than usual thanks to the wrap. She didn't like people staring at her most of the time – now she was practically giving them a reason. As if proving the point to her the Doctor turned back to look at her at her approach, eyes flickering helplessly down at her chest and rest of her body before back up to her face with a blush.

"My eyes are up here Doctor" she huffed irritably, embarrassment making her snap.

"S-sorry."

"No need. You're still a man even if you're not a _human_ man." She rolled her eyes. "When you said they have an appreciation for the female form what kind of appreciation did you mean?" her voice became wary.

He waved a hand as if to brush away her worries "Oh nothing that should worry you, they are still wolves even if they have human like tendencies. Females are prized for baring pups, healing and mothering – the alpha female of pack rules over the females and their duties. The males on the other hand are warriors, hunters – bread bearers if you will, and are ruled by the alpha male." He explained leading her back through the TARDIS and out of the door, into a wooded forest surrounded by wood huts.

"When you said it was a tribe like culture you weren't kidding." She mumbled. The further into the centre of the tribe they got, the more stares Clara seemed to gather from the male wolf people of the tribe – most of whom held spears or freshly hunted prey, while the females where usually with children or cooking.

"Apparently they like you Clara." The Doctor mumbled back, getting instinctively closer to her. When they reached the centre of the tribe he waved while she smiled. "Hello!" he said trying to sound pleasant.

"Greetings strangers!" the largest male, a wolf-man with thick black fur and many tribal patterns painted on him in red, greeted them with a toothless smile. He was accompanied by a strong looking female who returned the awkward wave Clara gave with another smile, though she showed slight tooth. The male laughed suddenly. "There's no need to be so guarded of your mate sir, we have no interest in the furless."

"Malcom!" the female elbowed him and frowned. "Sorry if my mate embarrassed you. I lived among the furless for a while and know you don't quite have relationships like ours. I am the Alpha female, Rebecca and this is the alpha male Malcom. What brings you to our tribe?"

The Doctor shrugged pleasantly. "Curiosity mostly. We like to travel and see everything – we hadn't seen wolf-kind before so thought we'd drop in and learn the culture."

Malcom guffawed – so did many males since they'd gathered quite the crowd. "Always happy to introduce a furless to the ways of the wolf!" he smiled. "We can take you both for the day, my mate can show yours the ways of the females and I can take you hunting friend! What's your specialty? What attack do you use?"

Clara couldn't help it, she grinned and said "He has _attack eyebrows_."

She heard the Doctor snort suddenly behind her, genuinely trying to hold back laughter. It made her eyebrows raise in surprise as she looked at him. He tried to maintain a straight face as he looked at Malcom. "I haven't tried hunting yet – be interested to give it ago."

While the Doctor went off hunting with the other wolf men – Clara was a bit concerned how enthusiastic he had been about it but maybe it was a man thing – she spent time with the females, Rebecca seemed to take great delight in showing her around.

Later that night, sitting around the camp fire in the centre of the camp when all the children had been put to bed the females began to fawn over Clara and her 'weird furlessness' as they put it. Three of them insisted on braiding, un-braiding and then re-braiding her hair leaving it quite loose and curly by the time the males had returned.

Clara watched with interest as the males returned and followed the example of Malcom who immediately approached Rebecca, sitting beside her he offered her the animal he had hunted, large pointed wolf ears slightly flat until she smiled in approval and took the fresh meat from him, kissing him lavishly. Around the campfire males where doing the exact same thing to various females. Eventually Clara spotted the Doctor looking more than pleased with himself and covered in forest debris, he sat beside her and showed her the rabbit he'd caught with a smug grin.

"What are you looking for a kiss too?" Clara smiled at him, nodding to the couple on their other side who'd just done the same.

He looked flustered for a second as though he hadn't noticed the particular action going on around him. When he looked back at Clara his eyes where wide and wary. "I uh… are we supposed too?"

"I have no idea. Seems rude to interrupt and ask?" she whispered back. They stared at each other for a second, then Clara gave him a light encouraging smile – she took the hunted rabbit trying not to imagine it as a cute cuddly animal, and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

Malcom laughed on their other side, patting the Doctors shoulder heavily "I told you she'd like the rabbit Silver-man!"

"Silver-man?" Clara couldn't help but grin.

The Doctor looked defensive, if a little embarrassed "It's my tribe name!"

Around them the wolves suddenly froze. Their ears and noses twitched and they tensed visibly. Clara felt herself tense too – anticipating the usual havoc – the Doctor stood when Malcom did and stared into a dark and seemingly empty part of the wood. Seconds later another group of male wolves appeared – all of these wolves where impossibly large and grey furred and completely nude. Thankfully they had fur so nothing was really visible Clara noticed with a bit of a sigh. The leader of these other wolves – she was going to call him steroid wolf because that's what he looked like – lifted a lip to reveal very canine sharp teeth and snarled at Malcom.

"Not here Fang." Malcom's voice had become nothing more than a snarl. "There are women and children here – let's take this inside my hut." He waved for the strangers to follow, some of his own tribe men followed too each of them snarling at the strangers with fur raised aggressively on their backs.

"I'm going to see what's going on." The Doctor stood and followed with hard eyes before Clara could stop him.

She couldn't stop him if she wanted too because Rebecca placed a gently fur covered paw-hand on her shoulder. "Clara, I need to go make sure my mate doesn't get himself killed by Fang and his pack. Can you please take the women to the far side of the camp and make sure they and the children stay there until I come fetch you?"

"O-of course" Clara was surprised the Alpha female asked her to do such a job, but she didn't hesitate. She stayed long enough to see Rebecca disappear into the hut where the Doctor and Malcom had gone before she turned to the other she-wolves who nodded to her respectful holding their children – many of whom were still asleep – and followed her to the far end of the camp.

Clara was stuck with the she-wolves all night in the small cramped hut they hid in at the end of the camp. She had taken up the mantle of story-teller to all the children that had woken with the sunrise, most of the mothers had fallen asleep by that time but somewhere still awake nursing babies and listening with keen interest as Clara told them stories – most of them where just her adventures with the Doctor.

She didn't even notice when Rebecca returned, her white fur had some splatters of blood marking her arms, chest and muzzle but she didn't seem to notice. Dread filled Clara when she met Rebecca's eyes, but the Alpha female gave her a reassuring smile and waited for her to finish telling the children about the man who saved a planet called 'Earth' a million times.

When she was done, the children and the women all turned to Rebecca expectantly. "It's safe." She said sounding weary and moving out of the doorway as the hut emptied quickly.

"So what was going on?" Clara asked, her own voice sounded tired too.

"The large grey wolf is Fang a rival pack alpha." Rebecca explained. "He is constantly arguing that my tribe is invading his land, we're not in fact he is trying to push _our_ border lines."

"Oh?"

"Your Silver-man is a very strong alpha." Rebecca praised with a smile. "He sorted Fang out – hopefully for good."

"I hope that has nothing to do with the blood on you." Clara winced, looking around outside but she didn't see sign of the Doctor at all.

"Oh no- this is because of Fangs soldiers went for my soldier. And Alpha protects their own no matter how much trouble their big mouth gets them. You understand – your alpha too."

"I am?" Clara frowned.

"Of course. You and your Silver-man are an alpha pair yourselves. He is the warrior – but you are his saviour, the goodness he comes home too after battle. You are a very well matched pair."

"Ah… we're not…uh… dating?" Clara tried to put it how Rebecca might understand.

The wolf just laughed. "Maybe not in the conventional sense."

Clara didn't know how to respond to that, and chose not to when she spotted the Doctor sitting by the campfire with Malcom. He gave a slight smile when he saw her "Clara!" he greeted brightly. "I helped fix another mess, Malcom and Rebecca said the forest would like to thank us!"

She paused sitting down beside him giving him a wary look out the corner of her eye. "Are you sure? Last time something thanked us you had far too many what was it… space vodka? That green stuff remember? And I had to drag you back to the TARDIS by your feet."

He blushed lightly "I don't imagine we will be thanked with alcohol."

"Alright then." She smiled lightly as Malcom and Rebecca sat cross legged in front of them.

"It's a privilege when the forest wishes to thank someone. Usually only Alpha couples who win great wars receive gifts from these ancient trees." Malcom explained.

"We are honoured." The Doctor replied solemnly – Clara just nodded unsure she could speak without sounding far too amused.

The wolf pair nodded, joining hands Clara noticed she wasn't the only one why jumped then they suddenly threw their heads back and howled – their eerie wolf song filled the little tribe camp and echoed around the clearing, soothing and spine tingly and beautiful all that the same time.

She blinked and suddenly sitting before the Doctor was an odd looking fruit – looking a little like a peach but bigger and bright red, she didn't have much time to examine the odd appearance of the fruit however because something hit her sharply in the side of the head suddenly causing her to yelp and the wolfsong to finish.

She glare at the shiny crystal on the floor, the culprit that had knocked in the head, it looked like a quartz crystal only it was filled with a clear looking liquid that moved on its own.

She picked it up lightly, the Doctor picked up the fruit.

"Ah the varying Fruit." Malcom smiled at the Doctor. "Very rare and only native to our forest, the fruit changes flavour with every bite."

The Doctor smiled at the nifty looking fruit tossing it back and forth between his hands. "Think I'll plant this in the TARDIS eh Clara? Be nice to grow our own varying Fruit tree eh?"

"What's this?" Clara held out the crystal.

Rebecca gasped and shared a look with Malcom. "What, what is it?" the Doctor's eyes narrowed ready to throw the Crystal into a supernova if it presented a threat to Clara.

"Nothing dangerous." Rebecca smiled taking the stone from Clara. "It's a mating crystal – Clara has been given one of our most prized gifts. You must sleep with it under your pillow and when you have chosen a mate – give it to them. Your souls will be joined and you will share nearly everything – in Malcom and mine's case we share physical strength and emotions. We are bonded, not even death will part us."

She passed the crystal back to Clara who regarded it with a curios expression.

"You have to be sure when you give it to someone Clara. You can't revoke it afterwards – your souls will be bound, and there is no way to break that kind of bond." Malcom warned.

"Of course… thank you." She tightened her fist on the crystal wishing her outfit had a pocket at least.

Beside her the Doctor shifted uncomfortably, looking at her he said "Well, I think it's about time you and I left Clara don't you? It was wonderful Malcom, Rebecca, thank you for showing us your culture."

"Any time Silver-man." Malcom smiled. "Feel free to visit us anytime."

"Yes, we are always open to you, friends." Rebecca smiled.

Clara smiled as the Doctor helped her up, saying her goodbyes to the wolf couple she turned to the Doctor with a grin. "Yes come on the _silver-man_. Time to see some stars!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Eventually Clara had the Doctor drop her home a few days after leaving with him just to check up on her home life. The Doctor strangely didn't leave as soon as dropping her off – instead he followed her right out of the TARDIS (which of course he'd landed in her bedroom, _again_) and began making tea. Clara felt onto a tad disappointed to realised the only mail she had where utility bills and there were no phone messages at all.

"Doesn't appear anyone missed me?" she said entering the kitchen to at least glance at the bills. "How long have I been gone?"

"Oh… about four-five days?" the Doctor handed her a cup of tea.

She sipped – he'd gotten it right, after months apart he still remembered how she had her tea. No milk, three sugars just enough to make it taste bit too sweet. The realisation he'd remembered made her smile even as she said "Almost a week and no one missed me… I was more of a recluse than I thought."

The Doctor frowned as she began to empty her pockets setting down her phone and various other pocket items on the table. "What about work? Surely work missed you?"

She gave him a sideways glance. "I quite working full time, put myself down as a temp. Now I only get called if another teacher can't teach."

"Why would you do that?" he frowned "You loved teaching- you were going to coach Courtney Woods all the way up to Downing street!"

Clara shrugged a little embarrassed as she admitted "I was too depressed to handle it. I lost two of my best friends at the same time and was pretty sure I was never going to see either of them ever again."

"Danny was a bit more than a friend wasn't he?" the Doctor corrected her.

She fixed him with a gaze suddenly. "You were a bit more than a friend too don't you think?"

He frowned and hid his frown behind his mug as he took a long drink. He swiftly changed the topic when she set the crystal on the table beside her phone without noticing his eyes following it. "You should be careful with that thing. You don't want to accidentally end up soul-bound to someone who just happened to pick it up."

She was startled at first, then looked at the crystal with a smile. "Oh yeah, that would be really awkward." She put it back in her pants pocket.

"Did you think of anyone to give it too?" the Doctor's voice had suddenly gotten a little bitter. "We could always go back and see if we can find another Robin Hood?"

Clara snorted at that, amused both at the idea and the Doctors bitter tone. "I don't think I want Robin Hood." She shrugged.

"Who do you want?"

Clara looked at the back of his head, she was behind him now and knowing he couldn't see her she let her guard down and stared at him with a rare soft expression she could only give him when he wasn't looking at her – and when he wasn't speaking, goading her into a witty retort or slight argument. "I don't think I want to tell you." She smiled to herself as she left the kitchen.

Clara coughed as she woke up – her throat felt like she hadn't drank anything in weeks, despite her remembering she'd had a milkshake that tasted like jellybeans only a few hours ago on some planet whose name she failed to pronounce correctly.

She sat up holding her pounding head, not entirely remembering what had happened. Something about someone fooling with the Doctors past again, trying to alter it for some reason – she remembered feeling particularly irritated about that after all she'd jumped into his time stream once before to sort that kind of tampering out.

Oh! She sat up straight, remembering the tug on the back of her neck and the Doctor screaming her name, she remembered the swirling colours and burning smell that came with travelling with only mild protection through the time vortex. She recognised the metal flooring under her hand, she was defiantly on the TARDIS – so where was the Doctor?

The TARDIS lights came on suddenly, not the lights she was used to either. To her side she spotted someone sitting up, her eyes grew wide and her mouth opened – that was _not her Doctor_.

The Doctor woke up on the TARDIS floor, the memories of the last few hours still burning under his skin. Despite his pounding head he jumped up fast, using the TARDIS railing to pull himself up, he searched for Clara. "Clara?" he called, this new voice was not good at conveying worry and came out harsh and angry – apparently the only emotion this voice could covey.

He staggered, still a little disorientated to the hall wondering and hoping she had gone to her room and he'd just had one of his narcoleptic incidents and fell asleep at the control panel again.

A voice stopped him. "Oi, old man! Where the hell am I?"

He stopped and turned and saw the last person he ever expected to see on the TARDIS. "You have _got_ to be kidding…" he mumbled.

"Well hello…" one man was regarding Clara with a seductive smile growing on his face as his baby blue eyes raked her up and down.

Another man – one Clara recognised, wearing a pinstripe suit and what she knew where converse but would continue to call 'sandshoes' to annoy him- pulled himself into a crouch regarding her with a frown and a mouth that kept opening and closing in confusion. The Tenth Doctor did eventually find his voice and said "No… no,no,no – people can't just appear on my TARDIS!" he then looked at Jack, still frowning but he did smile and said "Oh hello Jack!"

"Not that I'm complaining but, who are you – both of you – how do you know me, and where is the Doctor?" Jack was standing now and had offered a hand to help Clara stand up too.

"That is the Doctor" Clara huffed, brushing imaginary dust from herself feeling like she had to do something.

"Yes- but how did you know that?" the tenth looked pleased and confused at the same time as he finally pulled himself up from the floor.

"I've met you before – you won't remember though." Clara shrugged. "Don't ask – you're probably not supposed to know."

He frowned but nodded.

Jack was frowning too. "So… you're the Doctor too? Where's my Doctor? The bald northern dude who I owe a drink?" he smiled suddenly. "Not that you aren't just lovely company…"

"Same man, changed face but your perfectly happy to still flirt. Where's Donna?" Ten was suddenly looking around wildly.

Jack shrugged "Whatever yanked us, probably got her too. I'd say she's wherever me or… sorry I didn't catch your name sweet thing?" Jack flashed Clara a blinding smile.

"Clara. Clara Oswald." She shook his outstretched hand, biting her lip and not returning his smile.

"Alright so I'm a past Doctor travel buddy – guess that means you're a future one?" Jack grinned, Ten gave them a curious peek over the TARDIS screen where he was probably doing something clever.

"Yeah."

"What's your Doctor like?" Jack asked sitting down on the yellow jump seat in the tenth Doctors TARDIS. Clara almost wished it had made a return with the Twelfth's but had to admit the high back leather chair was a lot more stylish – and comfy – it just didn't have enough room for two unless she threatened to sit on the Doctors lap, and her no touching Doctor probably wouldn't like that.

"Mine?" Clara grinned thinking of him. "Oh he's a right grumpy git!"

"I _am_ over here and I _can_ hear you, future or past its still _me_ you're insulting." Ten called out.

Clara's grin increased. "And he's still _not ginger_!"

His large brown eyes popped up over the console screen giving her a narrowed look as if to see if she was serious.

In another TARDIS Rory Williams was handing a very confused Rose Tyler a cup of strong tea while the blonde watched the clumsy man who claimed to also be the Doctor, just with a changed face, figure out how his past and current companion had been switched.

"This must be very confusing. And sorry if the tea isn't very good. My wife picked the brand." Rory said gently sitting next to her on the stairs.

Rose smiled brightly "Its fine, my mum tries all the brands so I've probably had it before." She sipped the tea politely "Its good. Bit too hot."

"Sorry."

Rose just smiled and sipped the tea again, though it slipped from her face when she looked back at the Doctor who'd apparently just figured something out and did a twirl around the TARDIS with a cheesy grin on his face. "How can that still be the Doctor?" she frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Well… the one I know wouldn't… he doesn't _twirl_!" Rose grinned.

Rory smiled too "Well until he figures this out I'd get used to it – he's like a baby giraffe."

"Aha!" the Eleventh Doctor cried suddenly throwing a lever causing the TARDIS to groan and sudden suddenly, throwing them all off balance with a cry.

Amy Pond sat on the TARDIS seething, her arms crossed over her chest as she glared daggers at the ninth Doctor.

She opened her mouth to speak.

"Ah!" he cut her off waving a hand to silence her.

She was furious. "You can't just make me sit on the stairs, I am _not _a child!"

"Well you could have fooled me" the ninth replied curtly. "Aha, now let's get this sorted!"

"Donna Noble will you go and _sit down_!" the Doctor thundered trying his best to find out why his Clara had suddenly been replaced with the ridiculously gabby Donna. Seriously how had he ever dealt with her yelling? Admittedly he knew he had a thing for strong willed women who challenged him, he'd never travel with someone weak willed, but Donna was certainly the _loudest_.

"No way old man, not until you tell me _exactly_ where the Doctor went?" Donna glared at him with a look that could probably kill. If she'd been another species anyway.

"I _am_ the Doctor, Donna now will you go and _sit down_!" he turned from the console to glare right back at her.

She flattered slightly under his glare, he'd never seen her falter while they'd been travelling together that much he remembered. Instead her gazed moved to scrutinising as she said "Well if you _are_ the Doctor you certainly let yourself go."

He frowned "What do you mean?"

"Well what happened to the cockney accent, the brown hair that looked like you'd stuck your finger in a plug socket? The dashing grin?" Donna was continuing her scrutinising glare. "You've gone grey. And what the hell is with those eyebrows, you need to get them plucked or something – I know this girl, Lucy, she could to 'em-"

"Donna." He cut across her gently this time, thinking on her comparison between his younger self and now. "Go sit down and be quiet."

In the silence he could think, the TARDIS didn't appear to be any happy with someone messing with her shields and appeared to be just as keen as he was to figure out what happened – so with the time machine pointing him constantly in the right direction, he was able to figure out exactly what had happened in less than half an hour.

He hoped that whichever one of himself Clara was with would realise they were being lead into a trap too.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Clara hesitated when the tenth Doctor's TARDIS landed and he said they should be in the area where the signal that had switched the companions had come from and that if his other selves had any sense they would also come here and they could all switch back.

They saw her hesitate – she'd hardly spoken to them much, she hadn't known how much she was allowed to say without causing a worse paradox than the one already made. "Clara?" the tenth frowned at her already halfway out of the door.

"If you're afraid I could always carry you out?" Jack winked.

Clara bit her lip – "Sorry I just had a bad feeling is all." She followed them outside – ignoring the tenth Doctors out stretched hand.

Outside was bare. Oddly bare. There were four other TARDIS's in the room – Clara bet she wasn't happy about that – but the only other person to have come out yet was an irritated looking woman with long red hair, she knew that was Amy Pond, and an equally looking irritated man with a leather jacket. They both turned to glare at them when they exited the other TARDIS.

Another TARDIS opened and Clara felt a soft smile lift her face at the familiar face who exited. The Eleventh Doctor of course did not recognise her – but she recognised him, and from her echo memories Rory Williams. She walked up to them with a smile, watching Rory and Amy embrace happy before Amy pulled back in true fashion to punch a bewildered Rory on the arm while he protested that he'd done nothing. Rose and the ninth Doctor shared a smile and a hug, a hug that was then bombarded by an enthusiastic Jack Harkness.

Donna Noble suddenly appeared, she scanned the small crowed outside and spotted the tenth Doctor watching the crowed. "Oi, Spaceman!" she yelled striding over to him.

"Donna!" Ten's smile was tight and Clara realised his eyes kept being drawn to Rose Tyler – she remembered his love for Rose and that Ten at this point in his regeneration was just starting to get over losing her.

Amy Pond drew Clara's attention back as she strode over to where she stood next to the Eleventh. The irritated ginger girl punched Eleven on the arm like she had Rory and said "Your other self is a right grumpy git!" Amy growled "He put me in the '_time out spot_'!"

Clara grinned despite herself and saw Rory watching her – a slight grin on his own face. "Nice to see you again Nina!" Clara winked.

"Nina?" Rory frowned, a sudden look of realisation was passing over his features as he pointed at her and said "Oh- your… you where the girl from the Dalek Asylum!"

That caught Eleven and Amy's attention. "But… that's not possible…" Eleven said, adjusting his bow tie and taking a step forward getting right up in Clara's face to inspect her. She figured he was probably a second or two away from getting his sonic out and scanning her until someone saved her.

"If you could please take a step back from Clara I would appreciate if you did not poke her eye out with your chin." A voice said filled with irritation as someone stood at Clara's back.

She looked up and smiled at her Doctor – but he just glared at his younger self who hadn't took a step back but was rather staring rather intently at the older him now.

"But… how?" Eleven stuttered with confusion. "Trenzalore?"

Twelve gave a grim smile, nodding in Clara's direction he said "Not that bad, not anymore."

Clara shuffled and huffed "You could sound more grateful you know…"

The Doctor sighed with a role of his eyes, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed hard. "Thank you Clara."

"Clara…" the Eleventh rolled the name in his mouth before he suddenly shrugged, eye brightening as he pointed at Twelve with glee and looked at Amy next to him. "Heeey, I get to be Scottish!"

"Yes, yes now I think it would be best to get out of here…" Twelve started to steer Clara towards his TARDIS before the trap he knew this was could be sprung – the other Doctors where starting to realise something was not quite right as well, it had taken them long enough! He thought – hand just about to touch the door of his TARDIS when quite abruptly it vanished.

All the TARDIS's vanished, they all exchanged worried looks several people asking 'Doctor what happened?' as they were left in a blank white room with no real signs at all of where they are or who brought them here. In another second Clara felt a burning on one of her wrists – looking down she watched as a pair of metal shackles suddenly appeared joining her and her Doctor. Sudden startled cries around the room and she assumed the same had happened to the others too. She looked up into the Doctors equally surprised eyes.

"So any idea who's behind this?" Clara asked her Doctor as they sat side by side leaning against a wall. They were the most relaxed pair out of the lot – Amy and Donna had yelled, Rose had asked a million questions and the other three Doctors had seemed bewildered and stressed.

"None I want to admit." Her Doctor said not looking at her. He had his head hanging low and was looking at his lap actually – a position she'd come to associate with him thinking deeply about something. He looked up in time to catch Jack winking at Clara across the room and snorted with derision as he looked back down.

"What?" Clara asked.

"Typical. Shackled in a possibly world destroying paradox and he's trying to get into your pants." He rolled his eyes and glared at Jack across the room – the other man seemed a little confused about the hostile stare and in the end settled for blowing him a kiss.

"You sound jealous." She teased lightly. "And how come you never let me blow you kisses?"

He scoffed "Jealous? You're the one who sounds jealous. And for the record you've never tried such a stupid gesture."

"Oh so you're saying if I did try such a gesture you _wouldn't_ get all irritated and flustered and have something negative to say?" she gave him a disbelieving look.

He was saved by answering by one of his younger selves – the tenth one in the sandshoes – looking amongst his other selves and asking "Well. This room seems to be stopping the paradox of us meeting – not to mention our TARDIS's landing in the same place – from escaping. Any idea _why_ someone would want to contain a paradox like this? Pretty huge…"

To avoid answering Clara he cleared his throat and put across his opinions, ones he'd been creating while his other-selves dealt with their companions. "Many creatures feed on the energy created by paradoxes. Reapers for one – though they are not so sophisticated to create such a trap. My assumption was that we had come across one such creature – let's face it, us together is just about the biggest tastiest paradox they could create."

"Not to mention the paradoxes it would create by stopping us from doing the things we're supposed to do at the right time." The Eleventh added.

Clara shuddered at the memory of the stars going out. They defiantly had to get out of here.

"What's with the shackles then?" nine held up his hand, accidentally yanking the arm Rose had been using to keep herself propped upright and causing her to fall onto the floor with a 'thud' – except her arm that was dangling from the other end of the cuffs comically. Nine gave her an apologetic but amused grin while she glared at him ruefully from the floor.

"I imagine it's just to keep us tagged. There are numbers on the cuffs." The Doctor held up his cuff slowly, tugging gently on Clara's wrist, and traced the number '12' that had been burnt into the metal.

The other's held up their shackles now only just noticing the numbers.

"Okay, what was the purpose of mixing us all up then?" Rose asked, still lying on the floor.

The Doctor shrugged. "Probably just to lure us here. We're constantly being told our greatest weakness if our compassion for our companions."

Clara shoved his shoulder gently "It is _not_ a weakness."

"Isn't it?" he looked at her with wide eyes. "Some of the things I've done – these guys are _going_ to do…"

Clara was frowning deeply. "Is it weakness when a mother protects her child? Or when that child grows up and protects her in turn?" then angrily she said "Was it weakness when I tore myself apart and saved you hundreds, no _thousands_ or times?" she turned away from him, more than irritated and shuffled as far away as she could go without yanking his wrist with the shackles.

"I-Clara that's not what I…" he tried to mend it, finding the words stuck he just ground his teeth together in frustration and leaned his head back on the wall.

"Well… looks like you get grumpy in your old age…" Jack sang lightly.

"What do you mean in his old age?" Amy grumbled, still glaring at the ninth Doctor. "He's just as grumpy as that one now."

"You are just sensitive." Nine said dismissively.

"No she's right, you can be pretty grumpy." Rose corrected.

"Are we just going to sit here discussing whether spaceman is grumpy or are we going to at least attempt to get out of here?" Donna's voice cut in, unable to keep out of an argument – although she raised a valid point.

"Moodleflick" the Doctor cursed suddenly, causing everyone to look at him in surprise and Clara – despite her anger – snorted with amusement. He was too busy frowning at the word that just came out of his mouth to explain to the obviously confused companions in the room so she shrugged.

"The TARDIS must still be near by – she likes to filter out his bad language, replaces it with odd things like what you just heard." Her voice was still irritated, despite being amused.

She saw Amy smirk suddenly and Rory pointed at the Eleventh Doctor "You said you just liked making words up for fun!" he accused.

The atmosphere in the room changed suddenly, the air became tight around them – constricting. Clara could see she wasn't the only one who was struggling to breath at that moment, and despite her current anger at him she was grateful for the comfort when her Doctor suddenly placed his hand over hers. She moved so their fingers entwined and squeezed lightly.

Just when her vision was starting to get blurry and she was thinking the light-headedness would lead to passing out the suction in the room stopped, they all panted thankful to be able to breathe again.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Donna gasped.

"I'm not an expert or anything – but I'm going to say that was our captors… feeding?" Jack looked at the Twelfth Doctor for confirmation and he nodded once at him but turned his attention almost immediately back to Clara who was still shaking the last of the light headedness.

"Let's try get out of here _before_ they do that again…" she groaned quietly, aware that either she had shuffled closer to the Doctor at some point or he had shuffled closer to her but right at that moment not caring.

The lights in the room suddenly darkened to a black light. Clara saw as her eyes adjusted everyone look around alert, worried the air suction would start again probably, and grin despite herself when the Tenth Doctor clapped his hands together and said "Ah well, guess its bed time kids."

"You can't be serious?" Donna asked and even in the little light Clara knew she was frowning and probably wanted to hit him.

"Of course I'm serious." Was ten's reply. "While four of us in here are timelord – actually the same timelord if you want to be technical – the rest of you are human and well, they haven't given us any sustenance for you and you need to keep your strength up for when we have to start running."

There was a pause, then Clara heard Donna grumble "There is way too much running involved with you."

Her Doctor said nothing, so she followed suit sitting still as possible beside him and listening in the dark, watching. She could hear the occasionally mumbled conversation but after an hour or so it went quiet and she was sure that everyone was asleep – even the Doctor, or some of them at least, had to be napping by now.

Her head was leaning on the wall, her entire left side touched the Doctors beside her and she noticed with a slight feeling of thrill and surprise that their hands where still joined in a relaxed hold. Almost as soon as she realised this, the Doctor loosened his grip and as she was trying to hide her disappointment she felt him lean towards her and whisper "Your still awake aren't you?"

As if her jumping a mile in the air at his words hadn't tipped him off – he'd turned out to be a lot closer than she expected, she had been able to feel the brush of his lips against her ear when he spoke and tried to ignore the pleasant warmth the tickle had produced. "Yes" she whispered back.

She swore he was smiling even though she couldn't see in the dark. "You need to sleep Clara – you were already exhausted when you got taken."

"Yes well someone else trying to undo my good work in your time stream would annoy anyone to the point of exhaustion" she retorted with a yawn. "Apparently you didn't appreciate it so I shouldn't have bothered anyway."

He huffed with irritation at her. "You know that's not what I meant earlier."

"It's the same thing. Do you think I was weak for jumping into your time stream?"

"No. I think you're the strongest person I've ever met in my long lives." He confessed thankful she couldn't see his blush in the dark.

She paused at that, deciding not to comment on it in the end she said "Your companions don't make you weak. They make you stronger."

He knew she was right. He'd travelled alone before and it almost always ended in disaster. He wouldn't tell her that though – she'd be far too smug about it if he ever told her she was correct about him. Instead he said "Go to sleep Clara. Other me was right – you humans need rest because we're probably going to have to run."

"Can't get comfy." She confessed. "Sitting up is a pain in the backside – literally." She paused. "Would you mind if I lay down?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Because I'd need to use your legs as a pillow since the shackles don't allow us to sit any other way."

"Oh." He shuffled uncomfortably. "Yes fine, if it will make you got to sleep."

He tried not to flinch and move at all as Clara re-arranged herself, when she settled he let out the breath he was holding as slowly as he could and yet still felt her chuckle slightly at him. "Your arm isn't in too funny a position is it?" she asked, her voice tiered, and moving the wrist with the shackle on to emphasis her point.

The Doctor didn't want her to move again so said "Sure." Sitting tensely underneath her. She was facing his belly – head rested on his thigh far too close to his crotch for comfort, but he didn't say anything. Didn't think he could without making it incredibly awkward.

It wasn't long before he felt Clara's body relax beside him and her breathing evened out in sleep. By this time his eyes had adjusted well to the darkness, and he brushed some on her hair from her face lightly feeling he could show his affection for the girl while she was asleep and the darkness hid him from the other's sight.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Clara woke up and found someone was absent-mindedly stroking her hair and she was resting on something warm. Then she remembered falling asleep on the Doctor's lap and blinked her eyes open softly trying not to move too much and let him know she was awake. It was far too rare for him to be doing something like this.

She looked up slightly, found he was staring across the room with a slight frown and appeared to be stroking her hair without actually thinking about it. her eyelid fluttered involuntarily when his fingers brushed too close to her eyes for a second and she swore he'd realise she was awake – but he didn't.

Eventually she did have to move – she had a horrible crick in her neck. She stretched, feeling the bones crack, alerting the Doctor that she was awake. He immediately cleared his throat awkwardly and helped pull her up with his free hand. When she was halfway sat up, his grip on her shoulder tighten holding her halfway between sitting up and lying down.

"I might have a plan." He whispered, lips once again brushing her ear causing a warm thrill to go down her spine. She thought about pulling away a fraction, but didn't want to show any reaction. If he could be so stoic about physical touch, so could she.

"Why are we whispering?" she murmured back, eyes looking around the room. Almost everyone was awake by now, with the exception of Amy and she couldn't quite tell if Jack was asleep or just lying down.

"A thought occurred to me that they may be listening to us." His nose brushed the hair above her ear as he looked around too.

"Ah…" her voice got lower, she turned slightly so she could see him. "Plan?"

"I still have the sonic…" he whispered, eyes tracking her face. "And I'm sure my other selves do too."

"So?"

"If we can all use the correct frequency at the same time next time our captors get the munchies we might be able to destroy this cell we're stuck in. It'll cause the paradox to break free of course however once we return to our TARDIS's and our respective timelines, they would all have this experience erased from their memories – which would be why I don't remember this happening at all."

"Ah clever." Clara nodded like she'd ever come up with a better idea. "How do you plan to tell your younger versions if you're worried they can hear us?"

He smiled at her then. "Ever play a game of Chinese whispers?"

It took some manoeuvring, what with the hand cuffs limiting their movement, but they managed to shuffle to where the others were sitting and whisper the message amongst the Doctors and companions. Clara was pretty sure Jack thought she was flirting with him despite the message and he didn't hesitate to whisper a lurid idea back at her and while he was at it his tongue flicked out to lick her ear and give the lobe a nibble – until she was yanked back by her own shackled arm by her Doctor who glared furiously at Jack, who just glared right back with challenge in his eyes and winked. The Doctor decided to make more of an effort to stand between Jack and Clara for now on, knowing the man's penchant for bedding people rather swiftly. Clara glared at him irritated at him yanking her backwards, but moved on to whisper in his Eleventh self's ear – something that caused his lip to curl in irritation.

He was a two thousand year old time lord and he _did not_ get jealous of himself. He didnt_ get jealous _at all_. He didnt. _

He caught the look his old face gave him as Clara moved on to tell Amy and Rory of their plan, the bow tie wearing boy had a keen hard look in his eyes as his hand twitched towards his inside jacket pocket towards the sonic. The Doctor recognised that look, it was the one his face now wore permanently.

By the time the plan had been circulated – having to be repeated many times in true Chinese whisper fashion when bits got left out by accident – they sat for what felt like hours, the various Doctor's where sometimes reminiscing as their companions told each other adventure stories, though sometimes they had to defend themselves for stories about their stupidities.

Clara decided to stay out of the conversations after accidentally letting slip an 'Oh I remember that!' about the ninth Doctor's adventures with a gas-mask wearing child when he first met Jack. She didn't want to make their paradox any more appetizing to their captors by revealing far too many secrets to the younger Doctors so she clamped her mouth tight and refused to speak on the topic again – and was pleased – and a tiny bit amused – when her Doctor intervened what Jack called his 'lip loosening technique'.

When the air began that prickling again there was an obvious tensing through the room – all the Doctors twitched their hands towards their pockets – and Clara saw some people holding hands, Amy's hand sought out Rory's almost like it was an instinct.

"Get ready to run…" Eleven murmured.

The air became vacuum like again – Clara's lunged squeezed and burned horribly and her ears rang with what she realised was the sound of four sonic devices set on the same frequency at the same time. For a horrible second she thought the Doctor had been wrong, but then there was the sound of a large machine powering down, the room they were locked in was revealed to be nothing more than a dull dark iron box – there was a submarine like door on one side.

"I suggest we get out of that door before they manage to turn the power back on." Nine said standing and pulling Rose and Jack along with him by the shackles that he promptly sonic'd off leaving them free to move.

Clara was about to suggest to her Doctor about the shackles but he'd already yanked her up and towards the door helping his young self to turn the iron wheel and unlocked the door. Outside the four TARDIS's stood neatly in a line – the floor around them was scorched black, obviously something had been used to contain them and stop whatever reaction they'd surely have towards each other, but that thing had also been turned off when the Doctor cut the power.

"Quickly, come along Ponds!" Eleven dashed past her with Amy and Rory slipping into their TARDIS with a wave and a grin.

"He's right we should be quick – get back to our time lines and stop time going wibbly-wobbly!" Ten grinned as Donna rolled her eyes and entered their TARDIS. Ten did pause to give a wink goodbye.

"Wibbly-wobbly." The remaining Ninth and Twelfth Doctors both said the words with a grimace, a common trait that made them smile at each other before they too parted ways.

"Well! If that wasn't a trip down memory lane…" the Doctor huffed as he moved with Clara to the TARDIS console. He paused to kiss the shiny metal fondly, knowing she wasn't going to be too happy about being so close to her other selves too. "I know old girl, I know but bear with it just a few minutes longer…"

"Time isn't going to get 'wibbly-wobbly' is it?" Clara asked with concern, earning herself an irritated glare from the Doctor for the words.

"Well… there they – I – go…" he said gesturing to the screen showing the last of the other TARDIS's vanishing.

"So everything is fine then?"

"Unless I didn't get back to my time stream – if I didn't there would be some pretty painful consequences for me… and for you in turn I guess since you went and jumped into it."

They both paused, minutes passed in tense silence, the Doctor smiled suddenly throwing the lever his hand had been resting on to get them out of there. "Apparently I made it back in time. Always had a good sense of time."

"How many times have you dropped me off late?"

"_My own time_." He corrected with an eye roll. "Now, why don't you go actually get some rest? You didn't get much last night and your shoulder looks like its suffering from resting on the floor."

"I'm fine." She rolled her shoulder anyway feeling the muscles tighten. "My shoulder will stop aching in a few minutes."

She'd forgotten they were still shackled together – apparently the only pair that had not thought to sonic them off yet – until he used them to yank her towards him, not gently. "Ah!" she squeaked, startled more when the Doctor's hands suddenly landed heavily on her shoulders. She didn't know if she was about to protest or question him until her mouth shut suddenly in even more surprise when he suddenly started to dig his thumbs into her aching shoulder blades massaging in soft circles.

Clara sighed after a few tense seconds, relaxing under his ministrations. She felt the tightness of her muscles loosening too, though the Doctor didn't stop, his hands moved down slowly, fingers grazing down her shoulders, rib cage and sides as his thumbs dug into her spine and loosened parts of her she hadn't even realised where tense.

The Doctor massaged right down to her lower back, only just realising that he'd gotten carried away when his fingers brushed the top of her skirt and he realised he could feel the two dimples on her back just above her backside – he'd seen them that one time he'd gone to church with her naked, he didn't lie that he thought them cute. He had a thing about dimples – though he'd never come across ones on someone's back before. Adorable.

He cleared his throat suddenly, removing his hands from her and stepping back as he looked at anything but her. "That should help the soreness. If you're not tiered I recommend you take a hot bath at least."

Clara bit her lip and said nothing for two minutes before looking over her shoulder at him. "A bath sounds nice – but I can't go unless you're planning to come with me…"

"What?" the word sounded strangled as it came out of his shocked throat, and she giggled at his expression.

She held up their shackled hands and saw a look of relief and understanding pass on his features. He took out the sonic and removed the cuffs from her wrist with a slight awkward smile, looking back towards the screen intent to try figure out exactly who had decided that last trap was a good one.

Clara approached him while he was so off guard, placing a quick kiss on his cheek and feeling him tense before she dashed out of the room already thinking about those alien bubble baths the TARDIS had taken to leaving in her bathroom lately. Behind her the Doctor blushed heavily and turned to smile lightly at her retreating back.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Clara had known she'd have to go back home again eventually – the Doctor had known it too – but that didn't stop either of them being disappointed when she had to step outside into her flat and where faced once again with a grey dull London with pouring rain again. Just like the day they reunited.

"My flat feels boring now." Clara frowned throwing her purse onto the couch with a lazy toss, the purse promptly emptied its contents onto the couch everything slipping down behind the cushion and making her flash the inanimate object an irritated glance.

"Your flat_ is_ boring." Was the Doctors retort. He was in the kitchen checking through her fridge and cupboard. "Uh… do you always keep cheese in a milk carton?"

Clara wrinkled her nose without even going to the kitchen to check what he was talking about. "No so I suggest you put whatever is now in the milk carton in the bin. How long have I been away this time?"

"'bout two or three weeks without counting all those half hour drop ins to let people know you're not dead or missing." She heard the Doctor putting something in the bin – presumably the milk because he then added "It's a good job you like your tea without milk."

"What about you?" she asked hearing him put the kettle on and knowing he hated tea without milk.

"You have instant cocoa powder." Was his reply. "So how long do you have to be at work this time?"

"Just until Rachel gets over this sickness bug." Clara shrugged. She'd gotten a text from the school offices asking her to come back and cover for the other English teacher just a few hours ago – both she and the Doctor hadn't been too happy that they'd part ways again even for just a little while but she'd felt obliged to say yes.

"So estimated week then? I should come back Friday night?" the Doctor came in carrying two mugs – apparently he'd found his favourite mug, a deep TARDIS blue mug that he'd sworn was bigger on the inside and she'd hidden right at the back of her mug cupboard when she thought she'd never see him again. She smirked at the mug and he smirked right back sitting on the other end of the couch, moving her now empty hand bag out of the way but not bothering to move the things that had spilled out and fallen down the side of the couch.

"Friday sounds about right. Even If I don't end up working that long it should be enough time to visit my dad and gran as I promised." She sipped the tea, turning on her TV and finding a late Sunday night movie. The Doctor made a fabulous cup of tea and she found herself settling back into the couch with a sigh – she wouldn't lie and say she wasn't a little appreciative of some down time, her body was starting to ache from their adventures and she wasn't going to ask the Doctor for another of his ridiculously skilful massages any more than he was going to spontaneously offer again.

They sat in a companionable silence, both of their gazes fixed on the movie on telly. The Doctor vaguely remembered watching the Lord of the Rings movies, he'd quite liked them, but he couldn't for the life of him remember which of the movies this one was. About halfway though he wanted to make some comment, but realised he didn't want to move either. He was deliciously warm for once considering his usually low body temperature and this new body's inability to retain heat – the warmth was going to his head of course which felt heavy. Actually all his limbs felt leaden with fatigue and his eyes lids where drooping. He thought about moving, disrupting his comfort and heading to the TARDIS where he had a bedroom for the sparse occasion (like now) that he needed sleep, but then realised it had been so long since he had felt like this that he didn't want to lose the feeling at all. He sighed, giving in to the fatigue as his eyelids got heavier and eventually closed.

Clara was alerted to the unconsciousness of her partner by heavy breathing beside her and him falling to one side, resting awkwardly on the arm on the sofa. She rolled her eyes at him, but moved him into a more comfortable positon – pulling his legs up onto the sofa and placing a cushion under his head. She moved as many of the items that had fallen out of her purse that where now under his head as she could, and ran an affectionate hand through his surprisingly soft silver hair. "Goodnight Doctor…" she murmured quietly, throwing the blanket over him and turning off the telly.

Wednesday Clara sat behind what had used to be her desk at school but was now Rachel's. Around her neck sat the crystal she'd been given by the wolf tribe, she'd managed to get the crystal onto a chain which stopped her repeatedly losing the damn thing. She could swear the crystal was warm on her skin, but then again she'd been feeling a bit odd the past few days.

It started on Monday at lunch. The only thing she'd wanted to eat was chips and custard – thankfully her mouth did not decide those two things would taste good together, she'd have honestly been worried about herself if that happened. After that odd change in taste came others of course – she suddenly required a lot more sugar in her tea to be happy, something her dad noticed while she was with him and she kept dumping sugar cube after sugar cube in her tea and then tasting it until it was right. It was over ten cubes before she was satisfied.

She wasn't even about to get started on her mood swings. They'd been so… odd as of late that she'd honestly worried she'd picked up some alien split personality disorder. Maybe she was just having trouble getting back to her balanced life of normality and the Doctor – of course this time she was putting far more time into the Doctor. Still it wasn't always that you found yourself feeling ferociously angry as well as extremely happy because all your students had passed the mock exam you gave them with spectacular results.

Then again she was now feeling rather ill so possibly all of this had been a part of the build up to the sudden clammy feeling she had, the chesty cough the aching muscles and chills. Courtney Woods entered the English teacher's classroom about to ask Clara a question and instead was on time to see the teacher's eyes flutter and her head fall onto the desk suddenly.

It was finally Friday, the Doctor slammed down a lever of the TARDIS with more vigour than he realised he was going to use earning himself an angry groan from the time machine. He muttered an apology but couldn't stop himself smiling – the old girl had been a lot happier with him since Clara's return, she'd obviously been very disproving of the state they left each other in.

The Doctor landed in the corner of her bedroom, expecting to see her happily preparing herself at that three mirror vanity of hers for their next adventure – instead he found her peacefully asleep in the middle of the daytime. At first he was irritated, leaning on the TARDIS he was about to make some sort of loud noise to wake her and berate her about being lazy when she _knew_ he was coming to collect her when he noticed several things.

The first was that her bedside table was littered with handkerchiefs, prescription bottles of antibiotics and several half-full glasses of water. The second was the odd raspy sound echoing in the room which he realised quickly was the sound of Clara's breathing – as though something heavy was pressing down on her chest. The third thing he noticed was Clara's skin, pale as death and moist to the look and yet she was shivering under the layers of her blanket.

He considered waking her but decided to try figure out her condition himself, walking around the bed he picked up the various antibiotics bottles and checked the labels. Amoxicillin and Erythromycin. A penicillin and Macrolides. Other than that the Doctor had no idea because despite his name, he smiled, he had very little medical training. Why had it never occurred to him before you learn human medicine? He frowned.

In her bed Clara was suddenly enveloped in a violent coughing fit that last a fair few minutes, at some point during those minutes she'd woken of course her eyes watering from the viciousness of her coughing and fixed with surprise on the Doctor.

"Hello?" she croaked at the end of her coughing fit.

"I doubt you should be speaking."

"I thought you weren't coming back until Friday?"

"It is Friday Clara, and you don't look fit enough to be going anywhere. You're all pale and coughing all over the place and I can't trust you not to vomit – there is no vomiting on the TARDIS – so you can't come aboard with the flu. Rules."

"It's not the flu." She croaked leaning back against cushion and looking weary, partially panting from a shortness of breath. "I got a mild bout of pneumonia – should be fine after a few days."

His eyes widened a fraction. "Pneumonia? It's always a bad idea to send you to school! Those kids are like walking petri dishes for all sorts of germs!"

"Not their fault. Mine. Rachel got it somehow and when I went to see her I mustn't have been feeling too good myself already. Lowered immune system or something the doctors said…" Clara mumbled through more coughing. "I think I have a fever…" she closed her eyes against the pounding in her head.

She opened them again, startled to find she had probably nodded off for a second, when someone pressed a cold damp cloth to her forehead. She watched his face as he sponged her head, smoothing back her hair, and sponged down her cheeks and neck stopping at her low collar with a pause before moving back up to her forehead, and finally looking her in the eye. He cleared his throat abruptly, put the cloth on her bedside and asked "Any better?"

She cleared her throat too, though her voice was still croaky. "Much… thanks."

There was a tense moment between them where neither looked at the other, broken when Clara's phone on the bedside suddenly let out a shrill sound causing them both to jump. "What the hell was that?" the Doctor frowned picking up the phone and glaring at it.

"Just an alarm to take my medicine…" Clara mumbled as she reached out for the prescription bottles on the bedside. The Doctor reached them before she could – probably a good thing since she was far more likely to knock them over than actually open them. He read the labels on the bottles before popping them open and shaking out the required pills from each bottle and handing them to her – when she had thrown them into her mouth he also handed her one of the glasses of water on the bedside.

"I'm cold…" Clara heard herself mumble though she didn't actually feel her lips move. An odd sensation to say the least.

"I'll make you some tea." The Doctor stood and was just about out of the room when she managed to call to him "A lot of sugar please!"

She managed to stay awake while the Doctor was out of the room, and was surprised when he came back with two cups of tea and the blanket from the back of the sofa thrown over one arm. He set down the tea and threw the blanket over her neatly before handing her a mug. She sipped the tea – perfect. "Thank you…" she mumbled snuggling into the softness of her bed and feeling herself about to fall back to sleep. The Doctor said nothing as he sat in the armchair near her desk and felt himself becoming rather tiered too.

When she woke up again it was early the next morning – she could tell by the hinted yellow light coming through her windows – and she was even more surprised to see the Doctor still sitting in her armchair – though he had commandeered her laptop and was reading something with concentration, a pair of black wire rimmed reading glasses perched on his nose.

She stared at him and tried to ignore the chills wracking her body and finally asking "What are you reading?"

"Just doing some extensive research on your condition." He mumbled eyes flicking to her once.

"Really?" she was surprised.

"Well I'm not about to let you die on me Clara." He grumbled, removing the glasses from his face.

"Nice to know you care." She said after blinking a few times, pulling herself out of the bed weakly. "I'm going to get a bath."

Suddenly the Doctor was there helping her up, helping her stand and walk to the bathroom. "I wasn't going to mention that you very much needed to wash." He said, voice completely serious as he set her down to sit on the toilet seat and began to run the hot water.

"I wish you hadn't mentioned that I needed to wash. Makes me feel slightly worse than I already do." She yawned, still tiered and the steam from the hot water didn't really help.

"You're sick Clara, can't expect you to stay pristine."

There was another silence while the bath filled, the Doctor occasionally testing its temperature, until he turned off the water and looked at her with a cross between a smile and grimace he went to leave the room shutting the door behind him a fraction until Clara stopped him leaning almost her whole weight on the door as she said "Can you just knock on the door every now and then and make sure I haven't fallen asleep in the bath or anything?"

He gave her a brief nod before shutting the bathroom door completely and letting her get into the bath.

Getting undressed was quite a trial, her arms where like heavy weights from fatigue but she had to admit her head was pounding a lot less than it had been on Wednesday when she'd passed out at her desk at school. Her nurse had explained that the antibiotics would probably clear up most of her symptoms fairly quickly though she'd probably have a residual cough for a while and find herself easily worn out. She had a sudden coughing fit as she stood naked in the bathroom, glaring at herself In the fogged up mirror when it finished and whishing the cough that would be the first symptom to leave – though it was nice not to feel like there was a band of monkeys banging drums in her head.

The water was soothingly hot, at some point the Doctor had added her favourite bubble bath and she smiled when the bubbles tickled her nose as she slid further into the water. She closed her eyes and felt a ache all over her body sort itself out in the soothing water.

She had no idea how long she'd been in there when the Doctor knocked sharply on the door starling her awake and asking "Clara are you alright?"

"Yes thank you!" she called, her voice broke from a dull croak halfway thorough into a sharp tone and she had to clear her throat a few times afterwards. She pulled herself into a sitting position in the now cool water, her entire body feeling hot from the water and sweaty – she panted lightly rather than breathed but even the now uncomfortable hotness was more preferable than the aching chill that had her in its grip for the last few days. Her arms ached lightly as she washed herself, finally she pulled herself out of the bath warping herself in her towels she sat on the toilet and searched for something to wear.

In the cupboard where she kept clothes people – usually her dad or gran – had left in her apartment that she washed and kept until the owner returned she found a familiar black holey jumper. The Doctor had left it behind during one of their brief stops so she could join her dad for tea and let him know she hadn't dropped off the face of the earth, right after and adventure when they'd had to swim through goo and she'd found his goo covered clothes on her bathroom floor when she got home though the timelord himself had been absent. She'd washed the jump and trousers and forgotten to return them. She'd always loved that jumper, always been sorely tempted to nick it.

She pulled on a pair of pyjama shorts, a white strappy top and then the Doctors jumper over that feeling a little smug as she left the bathroom wearing it down to just above her knees. He was sitting back in the armchair when she opened the door and it took her a second to realise exactly what in the room had changed.

"Did you change my sheets?" she frowned running a hand along the now brown bed sheets.

"Dirty bed-sheets covered in your sick germs would only prolong your illness." The Doctor said glancing up briefly. "Is that _my_ jumper?" he looked up again with a frown.

"Yes. You left it here and now I'm borrowing It." she crawled into the bed curling up under the sheets.

"And getting your sick germs all over It." she heard him grumble despite pulling the covered over her head. She didn't see the small smile on his face, though she did feel a small thrill go through her despite being unable to identify the reason for the feeling.

A few hours later Clara awoke feeling the chills tingling down her spine again as if following her bones it spread around her ribs too and she tremored. She panted a little, curled her fingers and wriggled her head into the bed a bit more – which was when she realised she was not lying on the bed anymore. In fact she wasn't even lying down.

She was sitting up she realised with a slight start, her fingers where curling into someone's shirt and someone was sponging her skin again with cool water. She became aware then that the Doctor was muttering into her hair, his chin resting on her head. "Shh Clara…. It'll be okay, you just have to break the fever... you'll be fine impossible girl…" she relaxed again once she knew it was the Doctor she was leaning on, who was holding her as he soothed her burning skin and body and stroked her hair down her back fingers getting caught briefly in the holes of his jumper that she was wearing.

She tried to speak but what came out was just a whimper. He must've known she was trying to speak because he squeezed her lightly and muttered "Don't speak just… sleep."

She didn't remember falling asleep again after that – the Doctor had been ready to enter her mind and force her to sleep and was startled when he didn't have to touch her to do that. No other companion of his had been so susceptible to his telepathic abilities without him touching their heads at least. He frowned slightly, still muttering comforts to her (though he was embarrassed to say his murmurs comforted himself too) and made a mental note to himself to watch out for that.

_Hello everyone, I'm sorry I've not update as quickly as usual for any of my stories or replied to any messages however this is the end of university term time so I've been busy preparing for a presentation - after that I received the unfortunate news that a very close friend of mine has died - so I'm not sure at all when this story (or any of my stories) will get updated, so just bare with me for now, thanks :)_


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